Summer Light. Shh! On a Google Pixel 3.
Summer 2019, on Film.
Coming out of a stagnant winter I am always itching to get out and make pictures. I’m going to be brutally honest here… I usually start my photo walks in a negative mindset. What I mean by this is that sometimes I feel like I have taken every possible photo I could have taken in my neighborhood. Somedays are worse than others… but it’s honestly the worst thing I could do to myself. It can kill a creative day. I know I’m not the only person who struggles with this. Here are some thoughts and ideas on what I have done to combat this. One – Look for new angles. Even if it’s something you’ve already photographed a million times before. Stand on something tall, and you’ve already created a new perspective. Two – Look at different options for lighting. Whether it’s a change in the time of day, or you add a flash into the equation. I’ve recently played around with adding flash into some of my photos and I’ve loved the different looks you can achieve with this. Last but not least – The most obvious idea is to just get in your car and drive to somewhere you’ve never been to, or photographed before. I didn’t do this as much as I would have liked to this summer, but it’s definitely something I am working on doing more of. I was able to travel back and forth from Maine to my hometown in Pennsylvania a lot this summer. Photographing where I grew up was refreshing because I am seeing things in a new perspective now. It’s a weird thing being away from something for a long time and coming back to it and seeing all of the changes. I’ve grown a lot since leaving Pennsylvania, but coming back to visit is always refreshing. I am able to see and appreciate it all so much more now. I am almost seeing it all through new eyes.
My family has had the privilege to stay at this lake house in Pennsylvania the last (10?) years or so now. I think the last time I was able to stay here was in 2014? So it has been a few years, but this year I was able to bring my wife along for a stay. It’s nice being able to put the phones away for a moment and just soak in the sunshine and be in the company of family. The weather definitely put a huge damper on our stay this year, but I am hoping for a lengthier and drier stay in the future.
I spent the first 18 years of my life in the country side of the town I grew up in. Driving around where I grew up is always special to me. Even if it is sometimes hard to realize that these places no longer exist in my life anymore. When I look back at my childhood I see these fields. I see the dirt roads, and the forest in which I spent all of my summer days. I’m currently working on a body of work that consists of these places, but finishing this project could take years.
Introduction
A brief introduction…
My name is Joel-Michael. I am a photographer, and person living in Portland, Maine with my wife, and our dog Charlie. Disclaimer : You’ll see a lot of photographs of the two of them as they are both such a huge part of my life. One of the most important aspects of photography for me is being able to capture and record my life. It’s what drew me into it in the first place, other than for artistic reasons. A vivid memory for me is being a kid, and sifting through my parents’ photo albums. Being able to see their childhood and life, but also being able to relive my own. Note to self : Be better at printing your work! So in theory, I will be posting almost ALL of my work via this blog. It’ll be the central place to view all of my personal and creative photo work. Think of it as a digital photo album, but in blog form. I have a lot of “b-sides” if you will, of photos that I have never posted anywhere online. Admittedly I am not always a fan of how all of my photos turn out. I don’t think a single photographer does. I post my favorites via Instagram (@joelmichaelbradley) but I have left a lot sitting in my archives. Good, or bad you’ll see it here. I also want to use this as a place for conversation. I am by default a creative. My mind is constantly in a daydream. So, I want to use this place to keep those creative juices flowing and to keep myself from feeling stagnant.
What to expect from this blog :
Photography :
Digital, and Analog. I’ve used, and continuously use a variety of formats. Expect to see both from past and present. To give you; the viewer, an idea – I will be captioning each photo according to the camera, and medium I used to achieve each photograph. That being said, not every post will contain photos made for artistic reasons.
Thoughts and writings :
I want this to be a place for conversation. Whether it be about photography, my photos, the process, etc. I also just enjoy being able to write. This will also be a place for me to blog about other artistic mediums, poetry, and just life. Please feel free to leave comments on the bottom of each post with any questions, and or your own thoughts on each post. I’d love to keep in touch with you all!
Video and Cinema :
Cinema is a huge part of my psyche. Growing up, and even to this day I aspire to direct movies. I daydream in cinematic scenes. I hope to, or at least have plans to direct a film in the nearest possible future. I want to bring you all on that creative journey with me. This plays a little into the thoughts, and writings portion of my blog. This part of my blog is a HUGE work in progress. So stay tuned.
That’s it folks!
If you’ve made it this far I can’t thank you enough. Please feel free to subscribe at the bottom of the home page for emailed updates! If you don’t want to subscribe, I will be posting periodically on my Instagram when I have new posts! Follow me on Instagram @joelmichaelbradley
Again, thank you!
Best,
Joel
after thoughts • photography & b-sides 